The proffered pen: Saint-Simonianism and the public sphere in 19th century France

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Brick, Michael, 1984-

Abstract

The French "utopian socialist" movement known as Saint-Simonianism has long been recognized for its influence among 19th century engineers. An examination of the early Saint-Simonian journal, Le Producteur , however, reveals the articulation of an appeal to contemporary men of letters. A survey of the life and career of Hippolyte Carnot, a prominent Saint-Simonian man of letters, confirms and illustrates the nature of this appeal as it developed alongside Saint-Simonian ideology. Central to this appeal was the Saint-Simonians' attributing to the "artist" the role of moral educator. In their conceptualization of this function, the Saint-Simonians essentially presented a model of what Jürgen Habermas has termed the "public sphere" in strong contrast to that of classical liberalism. In the final analysis, however, the Saint-Simonians can be read as arguing not for the totalitarian domination of public life (as some have suggested) but rather the necessity of what Antonio Gramsci described as "hegemony."

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